July 29, 2019
Day 9 - In Search of Tubing
PhouKoun to Vang Vieng
As I woke up there was lots of dense fog but no rain. Remembering what my friend last night told me, there may only be a couple hours of break like this with no rain, so you absolutely have to pounce on these opportunities. It was a quick goodbye to the owners, and I was out and skedaddling down the hill. It was a descent like sweet cake, at least 20km and that's just how I remembered it from before. Topping it off was the icing on the cake with all the 'sabaidee' greetings and waves from the kids. This is what it's all about.
At the bottom of course the road turned into a climb, but it was shortlived and there it was, the Hotsprings Resort. The owner (Vieng) instantly remembered me from last year which was astonishing as they must see literally hundreds of cycle tourists go by. She basically said I was the only one who comes by in wet season. Ah so that explains it.
In the past this used to be an ultra-popular cycling route, and now the traffic has surely gone down. It could be the new bullshit rules at the Sayaboury crossings, or maybe cyclists are just getting tired of touring Laos. But there has to be enough traffic to keep these businesses going, because Vieng had some ambitious development plans for both the truck traffic and the Europeans (i.e. white guys) on the bikes. She wanted to install both a bar with loud music for those who like to party, and a quieter garden a few km away for those who wanted more peace and quiet. I said it was a great idea, and I could easily do both. She agreed and said the same, so why not offer the option.
All very good, provided the cycle touring traffic keeps up the momentum to which I seriously have my doubts. There is reason to believe that Laos is losing its charm as a long distance cycle touring destination. We got talking about a lot of stuff including the dam break in the south of Laos, along with the high speed railway that the Chinese are building right here. Finally it was time to go and of course I was recommended to check out the Sakura Bar when arriving in Vang Vieng. I just had to pipe in my two cents that the place is full of Korean girls. She had a major laugh about that and said to her husband, "You hear that, lots of Korean girls there!" To which he said, "I like Laos girls." Of course he would say that.
After that welcome resort were a few more landslides, and a serious one that stopped all trucks. This was a welcome relief as it would mean light traffic the rest of the way once I got past on the bicycle. Unfortunately the rain picked up again after Kasi so it could only mean grinding out the kilometers and getting to Vang Vieng in time for some river tubing.
But there was no tubing that day, and my first thought was because of all the flooding and a strong current. Still, some travelers I later met at the Sakura Bar confirmed that the tubing would be on tomorrow. Let's not forget that river tubing is what put Vang Vieng on the map. At its heyday in the mid-2000s this town was backpacker heaven, and now I have a lot of regret for not capitalizing on the action when cycling through here back then. I don't see this town ever returning to those kinds of days. The character has changed with the massive influx of Asian group tourists from of course Korea, and also China and Thailand.
This was evident at the Sakura Bar where it was slam packed. They still offer free drinks from 8pm to 9pm and the vibe remains awesome and friendly. Drink prices were amazing also. I later found out it was so packed because the Thais have a very long weekend now. Just like many other places on the planet like this, we western backpackers pioneered the party scene and it has evolved into something else now more upmarket. It's a sad situation. This development will only accelerate once the Chinese finish the high speed railway that I saw firsthand being built while biking. I don't mean to say that Vang Vieng is finished, as you can still go tubing and loaf around, and a party of course is everywhere. Still this was a real wakeup call and a lesson learned that when great opportunities come up you can't be shy and expect they'll last. You absolutely have to pounce on it and do it right away.
Today's ride: 98 km (61 miles)
Total: 569 km (353 miles)
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